POLICE in Westcliff are appealing for witnesses following a street robbery of a boy on his way to school at 8am on Wednesday.

Police have conducted house to house enquiries in the area and to date, no one has seen or heard anything, so they need to speak to any witnesses.

The boy said that he was approached from behind shortly as he made his way up Gainsborough Drive towards Southend High School for Boys, he was stopped by a suspect wearing a blue balaclava who demanded his phone.

The thug produced a knife and a tussled with the victim, leaving him with minor injuries.

The thug grabbed the earphones of the victim and made off down Shakespeare Avenue.

The victim describes the suspect as possibly Asian man around 5ft 10inches tall, medium build, speaking English but with a foreign accent.

He wore a long sleeved hooded top underneath a brown body warmer and blue jeans.

Detectives want to speak to anyone who was in the area at this time, as it is usually busy with traffic and pedestrians, who saw the suspect either before or after the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call Dc Lee Crane at Southend police station on 101.